“Most of us who start out on the yoga mat do not realize that, if we dedicate ourselves to practice, it is only a matter of time until the mat becomes an altar.”(page 269)

I picked up this book years ago, during yoga teacher training, but never managed to get more than a few chapters into it. Perhaps I was too absorbed in my own journey at the time, but this month I read the book from start to finish and truly enjoyed it. The book is part authobiography, part a history of Kripalu and part yoga philosophy primer.

The author, Stephen Cope, went on a three-month-long retreat at the Kripalu Yoga Center back in the days of Amrit Desai, resident guru. Cope’s retreat extended to encompass his year-long sabbatical from his phychology practice and eventually developed into a 10-year residency at Kripalu. Cope documents the early days of Kripalu and its downfall, when Desai was forced to resign.

Cope tells this story from his own perspective, but interspersed with carefully explained concepts from the philosophical tradition of yoga, quotes from common yoga scriptures and antidotes about other residents (composite characters with names changed).

What emerges is Cope’s personal journey of transformation through his yoga practice. Cope emphasizes that there are many paths which he illustrates these through the stories of his fellow residents and examples from yoga lore.

He’s neither overly judgmental, nor overly praising of Kripalu. Through his eyes, I was able to understand how one might come to venerate and love a guru. But Cope also highlights the limitations and dangers of the guru-disciple relationship. His open-eyed explorations of Kripalu allows the reader to experience Cope’s doubts and his insights.

I enjoyed the book very much. My one criticism is the frequent mention of sometimes difficult-to-understand psychological concepts. I found these parts of the book long-winded and boring, but the stories and examples always brought me back. Overall, it’s a good book and worth the read.

A caution to those who may not have a background in yoga philosophy: Cope provides a overview of concepts in the Appendix. It’s worth reading before you delve into the book.